<p>I recently received my PSAT practice test scores. I got a 50 for writing :(.</p>
<p>How can I improve before the PSATs (In october I believe). I really want a 65+ for writing. :'(</p>
<p>If you go to your local library, you will find a ton of grammar books. Pick one that looks fun to read. In my library, there was literally a whole shelf dedicated to grammar books. </p>
<p>My favorite grammar book was Nitty-Gritty Grammar: A Not-So-Serious Guide to Clear Communication. It even has cartoons in it :p. </p>
<p>The book was better than any of my PSAT/SAT books. It made things fun. I still used my PSAT/SAT books for practice. </p>
<p>Good luck on getting the “write” answers :)!</p>
<p>I just got a 35/35 on a Blue Book writing section I just did so I hope I can help…just practice. The writing section questions are recycled over and over and over and over; sure, they may use different words but they all have the same principle and follow only a few simple rules. Do a few Blue Book writing sections and recognize when you get tricked and after a couple I bet you’ll notice you start improving dramatically.</p>
<p>It’s best to come up with tips on your own rather than have them told to you, but here’s a couple:
- Be extremely wary of a late-section (i.e. difficult) I.D. errors question that seems to have no error; there is a huge chance it is a subtle misplaced error, illogical comparison, or infinitive error. But remember that it is always possible for there to be no error.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Pronoun errors are annoying and subtle in the more difficult, always be careful when you see a ‘you’, ‘one’, or ‘they’</p></li>
<li><p>When you get a question where the set-up is like ‘My sister gave my friend and I a gift’ cut out the ‘my friend’ part and you’re left with ‘My sister gave I a gift’ which is obviously wrong. This is a hugely common trick that I and most others fell for. This technique is like plugging in numbers in math and needs to be used.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>But just remember Writing is all about practice.</p>
<p>Good job on the perfect score ^</p>
<p>And Thanks iceqube, I definitely will try to borrow a grammar book.</p>
<p>Also how about barron writing workbook? Is that a pretty good grammar book?</p>
<p>I think Barron’s writing workbook is pretty good, plus it has a lot of practice.</p>
<p>^I agree, Barron’s Writing Workbook has a ton of practice. There are 5 practice tests in it :D. </p>
<p>And it has a lot of essay advice - I see you’ve been working on the essays a lot, Dorkyelmo :o.</p>
<p>D,
I’d avoid getting a grammar book: the PSAT/SAT only tests a relatively minor number of grammatical rules, so you’ll be studying a lot more than you need to study. Plus, seeing a grammatical rule is one thing, but recognizing when it’s broken on a test is another. </p>
<p>Dusterbug’s advice is right on: get the Blue Book and practice. See what you miss and why. There aren’t that many ways to test subject/verb agreement or misplaced modifiers; you’ll start seeing the same errors again and again. </p>
<p>In addition, on the improving sentences questions, misplaced modifiers and non-parallel structure are two of the biggest errors. Also, ‘this’ and ‘that’ cannot stand on their own - this fact will help rule out a number of wrong answers. </p>
<p>On error identification questions, subject/verb disagreement, wrong pronoun, and illogical comparisons are three of the most popular types of errors (illogical comparison isn’t as prevalent, but most students miss it, so I include it). </p>
<p>On improving paragraphs, when they say ‘in context,’ they mean it. Make sure you read the few sentences before the one in question. Two answers may be grammatically correct, but only one will work in context. And then remember that improving paragraph questions are still grammar questions, so look for errors to eliminate wrong answers.</p>
<p>Most of all, though, practice, learn from your mistakes, practice some more. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, the SAT only tests a dozen or so rules, and one can easily look up the applicable pages in a general grammar book, as I did. </p>
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<p>Thanks guys (:</p>
<p>And yep. Workin’ on those essay skills (;</p>
<p>I’m probably going to bomb the essay - I haven’t touched the SAT essay section :o.</p>
<p>Write essays. the end ^ haha that’s what my cousins and CC told me</p>
<p>IceQube, do you think that ACT tests more grammar rules?</p>
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<p>I don’t know about the ACT - sorry.</p>
<p>Take a bunch of writing practice exams. Trust me, when you take 8+ practice exams you will find that a lot of the questions are pretty much the same with similar answer choices.</p>